Joseph Reina

Joe practices immigration law exclusively, concentrating primarily on deportation cases, family based immigration, and U.S. citizenship claims. He is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and serves on the Board's immigration and nationality law examination committee. His peers have ranked him among Texas' top five immigration lawyers in a survey conducted and published by The Texas Lawyer. Joe is also listed in " Best Lawyers in America ," and appears among Texas Monthly's "Super Lawyers."

He has successfully litigated numerous cases on behalf of aliens resisting deportation, including the precedent decision, Deanda-Romo, issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals in May, 2003. He has been recognized for his efforts on behalf of detained aliens in his role as mentor to the detention project conducted by Catholic Charities of Dallas. As a member of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas for over 10 years, Joe has made extraordinary contributions of legal services to the poor. His consistent participation in extensive continuing legal education has earned him membership in the College of the State Bar of Texas.

From 2005-2006, Joe served as Chair of the Texas, Oklahoma, & New Mexico Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association ("AILA"). He has been a member of the National Liaison Committee of AILA to the Executive Office for Immigration Review of the U.S. Department of Justice. From January of 2005 to April of 2006, Joe was officially engaged as counsel to the Consulate of Mexico in Dallas in matters involving U.S. immigration law.

Joe has served as adjunct professor of immigration law at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. He has authored numerous articles on immigration law, including "Hyperequities": 212(c) and Cancellation of Removal After Matter of Jean, 7 Bender's Immigration Bulletin 1549 (December 15, 2002). He frequently speaks at immigration-law conferences.

Licensed in Texas, as well as in Washington, D.C., Joe has practiced law for over 20 years. He is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Federal Circuit, and the Fifth Circuit. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Texas and for the District of Columbia.

Joe graduated from Georgetown University in 1984, where he attended the School of Foreign Service. He also studied at the University of Dijon (France), and at the University of Salamanca (Spain). He graduated in 1987 from the University of Houston Law School, which he attended on a scholarship from the Lillian Kaiser Lewis Foundation.

Joe has three sons, Hadrien, Pascal, and Lair-Emile. An avid scuba diver and marine photographer, Joe is a certified Master and Rescue Diver (NAUI), as well as a technical and trimix diver (IANTD). Joe's marine photography is on the web at http://www.fluctuat-nec-mergitur.com . Joe is also fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish. He is also a licensed private pilot.